Abstract

ALDANA, Johanna et al. Effect of Bombus atratus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on tomato production (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in greenhouse in Bogotá plateau, Colombia. Agron. colomb. [online]. 2007, vol.25, n.1, pp.62-72. ISSN 0120-9965.

In Europe and North America, the use of bumblebees for pollination improved tomato production up to 40%. In Bogotá plateau, Colombia, there are also various bumblebee species that could be managed in captivity in order to increase greenhouse production of tomato and other Solanaceae crops. This particular work studied a potential of the native bumblebee species Bombus atratus for pollination purposes in tomato through introducing bumblebee populations growing in captivity into tomato culture. In this study, the results of the comparison among self-pollination and pollination done by worker bumblebees of Bombus atratus are presented. Fruits obtained from pollination performed by B. atratus had significantly more fresh weight (40.9%), larger equatorial diameter (14.3%), and presented significantly more seeds (103.3%) and proportion of well developed locules (42.2%) as compared with fruits obtained from self-pollination. The results of the study on rearing of B. atratus in captivity and increases in the quality of fruits produced by bumblebee- affected pollination are promising and encourage more specific pollination studies in tomato and other Solanum species in Colombia.

Keywords : buzz pollination; tomato production; bumblebees.

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